Family trip part 1: St. George

It is kind of funny to me that in the winter I am a bad blogger because I have nothing to blog about and in the summer I am a bad blogger because I have TOO MUCH to blog about! So I am going to do my best to get all caught up in the next week or two! Wish me luck! :)

The week after school ended we ventured out on a 10 day trip to California. We decided to drive because of all the $$$ we could save. We were a little worried how the kids would do,but it turned out to be not nearly as bad as I had thought it might be. We broke the drive up by stopping in St. George for about 3 days. We stayed in my parents condo and looked forward to sunshine, laying by the pool and just relaxing. Well it ended up raining the entire weekend...except for Sun. So we took the kidos to the indoor pool (forgot the camera), played tennis in-between rain drops, played at the park, and went for walks. We had a fun time and it just made the kids excitement for Disneyland even greater! Here are just some (I take way to many pictures I know) of my favorite shots from the weekend!

I-Fly

Well Darin turned the big 3-0. I was trying to come up with a fun plan for his big day. I thought about a large party with all of his friends and family....but he has never been a huge fan of large crowds so instead I tried to think of things that would just make him happy. On his big day we went and visited him at work with balloons and cake. That night I had my parents come over and watch the kids so we could go to a movie and out to dinner. We love going to the movies and we don't get to do it very often! Well the next day I wanted to do something really fun! His dream is to go skydiving. I told him after our last child's wedding he can go skydiving....I am just a big worry wart and have this terrible fear he will DIE if he attempts skydiving and I will be left to raise our kids alone!!! So the next best thing.....Simulated skydiving at I-Fly. It was actually a lot of fun and I think he had a fun time doing it! The funniest thing however is that Camden was totally bummed he didn't get to go. We told him he was to young, but we were wrong.They let 4 year olds do it!!!! So he begged and pleaded and ended up having the time of his life with his dad! He is such a little dare-devil! It was hilarious to watch and he loved it!

Oregon

Back in May, Darin had a conference he wanted to attend in Oregon. He graciously invited me to come along, and because Myah can still fly for free and is still the hardest one to leave, she was invited to hang out with me during the day while Darin was in his classes. We had never been to Oregon before and it was beautiful! We lucked out and got a sunny beautiful weekend without any rain or clouds. It was about 75 or so in Portland so one evening we decided to drive out to the coast. We had heard how amazing it was and wanted to see for ourselves. We were all in shorts, sandals and t-shirts. Luckily I had the impression to bring jackets just in case. Well once we arrived at the ocean, we noticed everyone bundled in coats, scarves and hats. The temp. reading in the car had dropped 20 degrees from the warm sun in Portland and it was freezing!!!!! We went and had dinner and walked out to the beach to get this picture and we were ready to get in the car and crank the heat! Who knew the beach could be so much colder than inland....it was amazing however and I am glad we got to see it. Just the car ride there made it worth while. It was beautiful!

Myah did a lot of riding in the car. This was her first little while being turned forward in the car. She loved it for a while....but the novelty wore off pretty soon!
This little guy saved our lives in a new city. We had never used navigation before and it was especially helpful to me when Darin was in class. I'm not sure if I could have found him to give him a ride home without it. It was worth every extra penny!

We were so lucky to meet up with some friends while we were there. This is Mark and his cute wife Lindsey and their kids. Darin and I have been friends with him since middle school. It was so fun to get to spend time with them. Friday we went to the zoo with them (no pictures...I forgot my camera but convinced Darin to let me buy a little point and shoot for the remainder of the trip! What a nice guy!) and on Sun. they invited us to their home in Corvallis for dinner. Corvallis is beautiful and especially fun for Darin to see. His parents lived there for a couple of years while his dad was in school. I think Darin was about ready to pack up and move there it was a darling little town! It was great spending time with you guys. You were great hosts!

This is Nicholas, Karlee and Myah. We are just missing Macy...she wasn't in the picture mood! The twins are a little older than Myah, it was fun to see them play together! So cute!!This picture is to remind us of the waterfalls we wanted to see before we left for the airport. The navigation wasn't ALWAYS what it was cracked up to be!Myah was a little upset....she really wanted to see some waterfalls!We had a really great time and it was fun to get away! We forgot how easy life with only one child is.....to bad we didn't appreciate it at the time...we just thought it was hard! We missed our boys though and we hope return to Oregon with them soon!

We love DAD!

What more can I say....Camden has said it all!



We couldn't ask for a better guy to be the Dad at our house!

"Hope ya know, we had a hard time"...Elder Cook

So I have lots to post about! A trip to Portland, our family vacation to California, Darin's birthday and even T-ball! I will get to it eventually but first wanted to share a video clip from You Tube. Our bishop sends a newsletter out the first of each month. In this months, he encouraged us all to watch this clip off of Youtube. I thought it was very powerful and just wanted to share it.

Look-a-Like

Every parent gets the question...."Who do your kids look like?". Well I often answer that there are a few things Chase and a few things Parson in each. Kind of a good mix, although some people have strong opinions one way or another. Maybe it is just harder to see as a mom. I guess it might be fun to compare pictures of Darin and I with each of our kids at their different ages....another post idea! Well a few months ago we came across some pictures of my dad as a kid. He hadn't ever seen them, actually no one had because they were on old slides in my grandparents basement. Once we got ahold of them I was astonished at the resemblance Carter has to my dad! It is almost uncanny! (at least to me...tell me what you think) I guess we can have a good idea as to what he will look like as an adult!!!

In case you can't tell, my dad is the one in the middle.

I guess it was fitting that Carter was given a middle name after his papa!

Look who's turning 30!

It is finally time for Darin to be as old as his wife!!! Send out a email, text, call or leave a comment and wish this old man welcome into the next decade!!!! Happy Birthday Darin! Thanks for all that you do and for being the great guy that you are! I love you....we all LOVE you!!! I look forward to the next 30+!!!!

Posts galore!

My eyes are red, the carpal tunnel is setting in, it's way past my bedtime.....but I have finally caught up on my blog....almost! It is a little out of order. I thought I could change the order later...I was wrong, but it is all there. This is what we have been up to, ENJOY!

Tutu anyone?

My sis-in-law came up and taught me how to make a tutu...who knew having a girl was so much fun!

Spring

What I look forward to every year in the spring.....the only thing that keeps me going through those cold winter months! (and now they are already gone :( ! )

Day 3

Day 3: Family party at the park.

Well our final day of celebration was at the park. We just met for cake and ice cream, played a little catch (thanks Char) and a little kick croquet (thanks Oma) and just had a relaxing evening. It was a lot of fun...and once again Camden's birthday has come to a close. Only 365 more days of hearing Camden ask how soon until his next birthday!!!


Every year I ask my kids what kind of a cake they would like. Sometimes I will make it, other times I just don't attempt. Well this year Camden wanted a sports cake which evolved into an Aggie cake. I had grand ideas, but he sat next to me and designed his whole cake. I must admit it was the easiest cake I have ever had to make and I think he got a bigger kick out if it than any other year! My only problem was getting the frosting to be navy blue. I used half a bottle of food coloring paste and this was the best I could do.....funny thing, everyone looked like Carter when they were finished!

Happy Birthday Camden! We love having you as part of our family! I can hardly believe you are 6 years old!!!!

Lagoon!

Day 2: Lagoon
This year I told Camden instead of a friend party (only every other year), we could do something big as a family. He chose to go to Lagoon. He wanted all of his family to come. In the end Nana, Ashley, Gabrielle, Oma, Konnor and our little family of 5 all made the trip. It was much more crowded than I guessed it would be this early in the season, but the weather was great and we had a fun day!

Myah had an allergic reaction to the sunscreen I put on her face. Generic isn't the way to go....lesson learned! Two hours of crying is not worth saving a couple of bucks!

That is Camden way up there. He was our little daredevil. He loved the white roller coaster and wild mouse just to name a few! I think he got his dad's genes for a need to be thrilled!

My sister Ashley, my mom (YES...my MOM) and niece all plummeting to their death....I so did NOT get that gene!

Camden and Gabrielle

Carter and Myah (post allergic reaction....still a little teary eyed!)

Their lucky mom and dad!

Camden's big day!

Camden is such a big fan of his birthday! For him, birthday's might even surpase Christmas as far as favorite holidays go! Ever since he has started school, he has been asking me when his birthday will be. How many more days until his birthday. Why on earth did I have to have him in May and make him wait so long for it to be his turn! So we tried our best to celebrate Camden's birthday like crazy so it made all of the waiting worth it!!!

Day 1: His real birthday.

We let him open one present before school. He got a "two wheeled scooter" (as opposed to 3 wheeled...apparently those are for babies.)

Celebrating his birthday at school. We read through a little book that Camden made about himself. He was so proud. Just look at that grin!

Dorky picture of me...I know, but I love the way Camden is looking at me!

Present time later that afternoon. I guess Carter gave Camden something he really wanted!!!

Birthday cake #1. Darin took the boys to a father/son campout that night so we just had a mini cake celebration before they went. We couldn't NOT have a cake on his real big day!